January 2019
Trinity
Evangelical Lutheran Church
The
Wyoming
District
Church: (308) 247-2432
Mobile: 308-631-8431
Rev.
Kenneth L. Humphrey,
Pastor
+ + +
Newsletter
Contents
Pastor’s Page Page
1
Stewardship Ministry Page 2
Good News for Families Page
3
Dates to Remember Page 4
Usher Schedule Page
4
Rural and Small Town
Mission Page 5
January Calendar Page 7
Everyday Faith Page 8
Treasurer’s Report Back
|
Immanuel: God With Us. What Does This Mean? Beloved in Christ: I pray that you and yours
had a joyous Christmas and that the Lord will continue to bless us all
throughout 2019, even as the presents and festivities fade in our memories. But
that’s the thing, isn’t it? When Christmas is over—at least in the
world—everything gets shoved into the basement storage room and the tree goes
to the dumpster as soon as possible.
Christmas is over, and now what?
Does Jesus go “into storage” in our lives, like the garland and light strings?
That is, do we consider what He has done, and how does this affect our lives as
believers in a sin-sick and weary world even when the holiday is over? The Magi
sought out Jesus, but after they worshipped Him and presented their gifts, they
did not forget about our Lord once they’d returned from Bethlehem.
Beloved
in Christ: I pray that you and yours had a joyous Christmas and that the Lord
will continue to bless us all throughout 2019, even as the presents and
festivities fade in our memories. But that’s the thing, isn’t it? When
Christmas is over—at least in the world—everything gets shoved into the
basement storage room and the tree goes to the dumpster as soon as possible.
Christmas is over, and now what? Does Jesus go “into storage” in our lives?
That is, do we consider what He has done, and how does this affect our lives as
believers in a sin-sick and weary world even when the holiday is over? The Magi
sought out Jesus, but after they worshipped Him and presented their gifts, they
did not forget about our Lord once they’d returned from Bethlehem.
The fact
of the matter is that Jesus came, not for a day, not even for a season, but He
came in time and space in order to bring us forgiveness of sins, life and
salvation for all eternity. Of course, we know that as Christians—Jesus came to
deal with our most serious problem: the sin which rightly separates us from the
love of God. Our Lord came to deal with that; and because of the right standing
we have before the Father, we have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). We
have the abundant life not just on Christmas or Easter, but every day of our
lives. Our Lord promised to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5); and He
keeps His promises.
However,
this doesn’t mean that Jesus is offering us a quick fix to everything we’d like
different in our lives or in the world, as though He were a pop psychologist on
TV or business turnaround expert. When I look at my life, there are all sorts
of things I’d like to be different. However, I’ve never been one who is keen on
new year’s resolutions. Chances are, there are a number of things you’d like
different in your lives, too—but that doesn’t mean that you’re outside of God’s
love. In fact, Jesus said that in this world, you will have trouble (John
16:33). But He comes with love and mercy for your wrongs, for He has overcome
the world. He promises to hear your cries. He helps you hold up under your
burdens so that the cross you have in this world is bearable. He’s not bringing
you a fairy-tale world to live in. But He offers you Himself, all the kindness,
and help He came to bring.
And God
delights to do this for you, me, and all peoples. When God took on human flesh,
He wasn’t cringing, holding it beneath Himself (see Philippians 2:6). No, He
was doing what He loved and longed to do: bring us light and eternal life. That
is indeed a gift worth celebrating every day of the year, is it not? We should
be like the shepherds and the Magi, rejoicing to tell others of what Jesus’
life means for us—and for them.
One other
thing on the subject of gifts: thank you so very much for all the gifts given
to me and my family at Christmas. Everyone at Trinity has been so kind and
loving to us; it’s a real example of faith being put into action, and we are
blessed to be here, and I hope to be here many more years. May our Lord Christ
be with you this Epiphany season and always.
Pastor
Ken Humphrey
The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
LCMS
Stewardship Ministry
It is no secret that God calls us
to be generous with the gifts He has given us. Throughout the Bible, we read
that just as God has generously given to us, so are we to give generously one
to another. As Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35) and “Be merciful,
even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
But God also calls us to give to
Him. And He, who does all things well, presses it into service for the benefit
of all the people of God. See for example what God spoke to Moses on Mount
Sinai, after he and the people were safely brought out of Egypt across the Red
Sea on dry land:
The Lord
said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a
contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the
contribution for me. And this is the contribution that you shall receive from
them: gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine
twined linen, goats' hair, tanned rams' skins, goatskins,[a] acacia wood, oil
for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx
stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let
them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show
you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you
shall make it. (Ex. 25: 1-9)
Notice in verse two that the Lord
instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to “take for me a contribution” and that
from everyone motivated from gratitude for what God has just accomplished and
given to them, Moses is to gather up “the contribution for me.”
Pay attention, though, why the
Lord wants the people of Israel to gather up these contributions for Him. God
tells Moses precisely why: “let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in
their midst.” The purpose for the contribution of the Israelites was so that He
may dwell with them, that He would live among them. Through the tabernacle and
the priesthood, through their rites and ceremonies, through their feasts and
festivals, as through means, the Lord God, who brought them out of the bondage
of Egypt would live and dwell among them and be their God, and lead them into
the promised land, which flowed with milk and honey.
God dwells among us still. In the
fullness of time, God’s son was born of woman, born under the law to redeem
those under the law. He brought us out of bondage to sin, death, the devil, and
Hell, and He did this by His obedient suffering and death, his resurrection and
ascension. But He is not gone. He dwells with us through the means of His Word
and His sacraments, through the preaching and the teaching of our pastors,
through the rites and ceremonies of our liturgy. He dwells with us in the
Church through those means. And He is leading us to the true promised land, to
the new heavens and the new earth in the new creation.
In the meantime, as God, even
now, continues to call us to give to Him, let us, who have been saved from
slavery to sin and death, the devil and hell, be so moved in our hearts as to
give generously to Him so that the means of grace, the means of His gracious
dwelling among us, would continue now and into the future. For just as He did
then so does He do now. He presses the gifts given to Him into service for the
benefit of all His people. He puts it to use so that we may have Him with us
always, even unto the end of the age.
Better Together
By Dcs. Jennifer Miller
“Many
hands make light work.” “There is no I in team.” “The whole is
greater than the sum of its parts.” We’ve heard all of this before. The idea of
coming together with others to make good things happen is not a unique concept.
Individually, we have our limitations, but somehow when we merge our skills with
those of another person, presto! The result is often something much better than
we could have accomplished alone.
And
when it’s Christians that come together to show love and mercy to others, well,
now it’s really game on, because our Lord Himself is working through His
people. You see, we’re not just any people. We’re the Body of Christ.
St. Paul puts it this way: For just as the body is one and has many members,
and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with
Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks,
slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians
12:12–13)
We’re
not one because we all like one another. Or because we all love waking up early
on Sundays. Or because we love the taste of church coffee. No, our oneness goes
much deeper than that. Deep into the water, actually. We’re one because we’re
baptized into one Lord. We share a faith. In Christ, we are all the same:
beloved and holy and perfect.
Even as
we live in this new reality, however, we are still prone to division. Sometimes
we think the body might be better off if we could only have this or that part
amputated. But God cares for His whole body, and charges us to see the value
and worth in each member. We’re bound together in Baptism, strengthened as one
in Holy Communion, and held fast in the Church.
That’s
all well and good, but on a day-to-day basis, what does this look like? A
strong body that is held together eternally, without fail, is capable of
serving others in a variety of ways. Each member is gifted in a special way,
while we’re all directed by Christ, our Head.
We
don’t need programs to tell us how to serve, but we get to do it according to
our vocation and particular gifts. We can keep our eyes open to the needs
around us, jumping in whenever we see an opportunity. Does someone need a meal
to help get them through a tough time? Does the new person at church need a
friend? Does the single mother need some help wrangling her children in the
pew?
There
are a multitude of ways in which we, a multitude of people, come together as
one and serve others in faith. By being more aware of the suffering around us,
we can also teach our children to be present in the moment, offering help when
and as they are able. No gift is too small or insignificant—everyone’s
contribution is necessary and welcomed, regardless of how mundane you may feel
it is.
Think
of how everyone functions in your family—the funny one, the peacemaker, the one
who asks all the questions—and the family is stronger because of each person in
it. So is the Body of Christ seen right here in your church. So come together.
Live the reality that is our oneness in Christ. Just think of all the
possibilities!
Lutherans For Life
ENTERING
OUR FORTIETH YEAR
As of October 1, 2018, Lutherans For Life has entered its
fortieth year! And after all this time, we rejoice most of all that some
things never change .
Our story, our life, our world begins and ends with an
everlasting God. “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of
Jacob, are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6).
Though sometimes it feels as if Earth is getting worse, “[W]hat
has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun”
(Ecclesiastes 1:9b).
Our generation is not as novel or creative as we’d like to
believe. We remain of equal sinfulness to those who went before. The hope of
old holds out hope for us still: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and
today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
So, our theme for 2019 is “From Age to Age the Same.” Isaiah
46:3b-4 declares, You “have been borne by me from before your birth, carried
from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry
you. I have made, and I will bear.”
We rejoice to highlight how God’s grace endures in every age of
human history and in every age of human existence. His truth and love are as
applicable and effective today as in the epic eras of the Scriptures and church
history. His creating, His redeeming, and His calling proclaim human persons at
the margins of life as precious as those in the middle. His forgiveness and
resurrection ensure human sanctity and dignity from the invisible miracle of
conception to the moment of natural death.
No one else’s age, appearance, ability, or history impairs
anybody’s preciousness. The Savior’s presence embraces even those complicit in
violence against life. The Father’s power sustains also those vulnerable to
such destruction and those advocating for better ways. That’s why Lutherans For
Life’s Gospel-motivated message and ministry remain as vital—and as vibrant—as
ever.
Some things never change—and thanks be to God!
In truth and love,
Rev. Michael W. Salemink
Executive Director, Lutherans For Life
DATES TO REMEMBER FOR JANUARY
January 1 Julie Alkire Baptismal Date
January 1 Jon Warnke Baptismal
Date
January 7 Tracie Ross Birthday
January 13 Christine Humphrey Baptismal Date
January 18 Debra Schneider Baptismal Date
January 26 Burke Schneider Baptismal Date
January 27 Don Bowlin Birthday
Please note: if you cannot make your scheduled turn, please find
someone to fill in for you or contact Rudy Landreth. Thank you very much for your willingness to
serve!
